As well as providing you with an up-to-date overview of some of the main parts of the Act, this new CHEX briefing highlights real examples of community organisations making use of the Act in their own work involving communities in addressing health and wellbeing issues and tackling health inequalities.

SCDC and the Poverty Alliance worked with ten community organisations to co-design a resource framework which could be used to support communities across Scotland to conduct their own inquiries into the issues affecting them.

The Fairer Scotland Duty came into force in Scotland in April 2018. It places a legal responsibility on particular public bodies in Scotland to consider how they can reduce inequalities when planning what they do.

This free SCDC workshop hosted by Carnegie UK Trust is a chance for community groups and organisations in Fife a to find out more about participation requests, how to make one and what to think about before you do.

The Lobbying (Scotland) Act was recently signed into law, bringing with it new requirements for community organisations who discuss their work with MSPs, Scottish Government ministers, Special Advisers and the Permanent Secretary

This years Community Development Alliance Scotland (CDAS) Conference will take place on 17th April 2018, 10am-3pm, at The Studio, Hope Street, Glasgow. The theme is the ties that bind us in our communities - hence dark matter!

SCDC is pleased to launch our new website for community groups, Communities Channel Scotland on the same day as the publication of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Bill.

The Scottish Government has funded the development of the website, which puts communities in the spotlight by connecting people and sharing ideas.

The Communities Channel will share the stories and experience of community groups and organisations in their efforts to improve their communities, and highlight resources that can help groups in their work.

The website will provide regular news stories on any developments affecting community groups, whether at a national or local level.

To make the Communities Channel as relevant and up-to-date as possible, we would like you to send us your news and stories. If you would like your community group to feature on Communities Channel Scotland, have any news, or know of any resources and other content that others would find useful, please contact Andrew Paterson - 0141 222 4837

The Community Empowerment (Scotland) Bill

Published today, the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Bill is designed to strengthen and nurture community participation and encourage enterprising community development.

The Bill will include provision for communities to take over public sector land and buildings where they can show they can deliver greater public benefit with those assets. It will also streamline and extend the existing community right to buy, and embed Scotland's performance framework in legislation, ensuring the Scottish Government remains focussed on improving outcomes for communities.

Acknowledging that community empowerment can only be achieved with proper support, Local Government Minister Derek Mackay, in announcing the Bill, confirmed an increase in funding from the People and Communities Fund by £1.5 million to £9.4 million per year in 2015-16.